This sample shows about 4 to 6 hours of spinning silk from spiders.Carrie Snyder / The Forum

Amanda Brooks, an assistant professor in North Dakota State University’s School of Pharmacy, is working with spiders on biomedical research.

The 40-year-old has been working with spiders for about the past 15 years.

“I just think they’re so fascinating,” she said. “They can do so many things.”

She started in 2001 while earning her Ph.D. in molecular biology from the University of Wyoming. Two of her professors worked with spiders, one on how to genetically modify the mechanical properties of spider silk.

“I found that really interesting,” she said.

Brooks said she “didn’t necessarily love spiders” before she started working with them, “But when you start seeing all the cool things that they can do, you develop an appreciation for them.”

The Center for Protease Research, an NIH / NIGMS / COBRE supported center, has broad-based research programs to provide fundamental information on how proteases, key biological players, impact several diseases. The biological role played by matrix metalloproteinases and histone deacetylases in cancer, arthritis, autoimmune diseases, diabetes, and asthma is being investigated. These studies have the ... Read More